We don’t always have headwinds. The further offshore we go, and for longer, the more we try to choose routes with favorable weather. The magic word is “downwind”! As soon as you have the wind on the beam, even in the aft quadrant of your windex, you start to smile, the crew relaxes, the miles promise to flow past and the destination to get closer.
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Publié le
16/12/2016
Par
François Trégouët
Numéro :
138
Parution :
Nov.
/
Dec.
2014
So we need to have a suitable sail, ready to launch from the forward locker. A spi? Yes, but which one? Are you sure that it is in fact a spi that you need? Oh yes, I forgot to mention: If you have skipped the last thirty years, I have bad news for you, your great big old symmetrical spi made from slightly stretchy nylon, no longer has the monopoly on tradewinds. Numerous other solutions are available to you. Here we conclude our technical series looking at sails, with downwind headsails. At last the wind is favorable. You are going to be able to lengthen your stride and make the speedometer s…
